By The content team SynopticsYou knew it was coming… Will you be ready for your synoptic exam?15 Feb 2022 Here, Angela Renshaw, accountancy programme manager at The Apprentice Academy, provides advice and top tips for tackling synoptic exams.I won’t pretend the exam is a walk in the park – far from it. However, if you reflect on the journey that brought you to this point and how far you have travelled in your studies, you will realise that you have the willpower and existing knowledge to push you through that last mile to success and past that finish line, because you learned it all along the way. The secret is to remember the journey and critically analyse each step you took. Ask yourself: are there areas that I found particularly challenging? Which areas am I most confident in? What can I do to strengthen my weaknesses? What resources are at my disposal? Remember, the synoptic exam is about the knowledge and skills that you have acquired throughout the core modules of the accountancy qualification. You are expected to demonstrate the ability to apply them effectively within the context of a workplace scenario. The importance of revision I cannot emphasise enough the importance of revision – set yourself some objectives, focus on your weaknesses, and conversely, do not neglect your strengths as they too still need practice. Look at all the resources available to you from your training provider or the AAT Lifelong Learning Portal and utilise them! The latter has some valuable tools to aid success – particularly beneficial are the e-learning modules, key calculations, and green light tests available. Subjectively, the examiner’s report is a must-read. Scrutiny of this and paying attention to the feedback within will give you greater knowledge of what the examiner is looking for. Make notes from the feedback and look at areas where the examiner was particularly critical so that you can avoid the same pitfalls. Practice assessments (available in the AAT Lifelong Learning portal) are a great way of familiarising yourself with the assessment software. You can use these to get used to navigating your way through the different screens, the set-up of the questions within the software, and the different ways in which questions may be asked.Creating a revision planPlanning your revision is key to success. Create a timetable incorporating all the topics that could be tested – this will allow you to focus on bite-sized chunks of information consistently, as opposed to simply completing mock assessments and trying to cover everything at once. Pace yourself when revising and allow yourself breaks to prevent information overload, as this can be just as ineffective towards your progress as not revising at all would be. Allocate sessions, for example 30 minutes of study then a 10-minute break. You will retain information more effectively this way. Ensure you have your own space to study in, where it is quiet and free from distractions. We all subconsciously develop our own way of recalling information, the problem is it is just that – subconscious, so we don’t really know why we remembered something, it was just there. However, we can develop ways to consciously remember information, you just need to identify what method works for you. Practice what you’ve learntRevision and practice – the two go hand-in-hand. If you have identified an area of weakness, revisit it. Look at your resources and try writing helpful strategies down, then write them down again and again, does this help? Or can you develop acrostics to aid information recall? For example, if someone were to ask you what types of costing there are, think of the word SPAM and recall the information by utilising each letter: Standard costing Process costing Activity-based costing Marginal-based costing Is there a family member or friend who is willing to listen to you reading the question and your answer to them? They may not understand what you are talking about, but you can be their tutor and briefly explain your answer to them along the way. You may discover flaws in your answer where you can say: “Actually that does not sound quite right, I need to alter that because…” Equally, you may be confident that you have effectively covered the question posed. Either way, you should continue to practice. If you do not want to read to another person, try recording yourself either on your mobile phone or a dictaphone if you have one available. When you play your answers to each scenario/question back, have your written answer in front of you. This way you can pause the recording whenever you like and make notes of anything that you are unhappy with, or where you feel you need to expand your answer. When you are confident with any alterations/corrections you have made, re-record and listen again. Motivation, perseverance and positivity Focus and retain a positive attitude – you can and you will pass this synoptic exam with flying colours. If you are struggling with any of the core modules when you revisit them, do not give up. Negativity is not an option – remember, you have already learned this. Ask yourself what you did when you were studying that module, what tactics got you through it? Just because you found it hard and are doubting your ability in an area of a module does not mean that you cannot do it, or you will fail should it come up in the exam. Motivation, perseverance and positivity is the key to overcoming adversity. Prioritise any areas of weakness. I know this is a recurring theme, but practice, revise, practice and knock that “T” off can’t. Taking the examIf you are studying for the Professional Diploma synoptic exam, printing a copy of the pre-release material and working through it is quite a useful tool. Analysis of the given scenario will help you to familiarise yourself with the status of the company – evaluating any potential inefficiencies within their systems and processes may put you at an advantage in the live assessment.While you cannot take this into the exam, it will afford you prior knowledge of the company on which you will be examined. Your prior knowledge of the company gained from the pre-release material should stand you in good stead when it comes to deciphering the question posed. You may have already spotted some potential problems within the organisation. Practice, more practice and revision of the skills that I have learned. Affords me the ability to demonstrate and apply my knowledge. Successfully gain the qualified status I have been striving for. Stand tall and proud. It was hard work but so worthwhile – I did it. Top tips for synoptic success Look at the practice scenarios – identify a question that covers your weakness, answer the question, then analyse your answer. When performing calculations, cross cast your figures where possible to ensure they are accurate. Double check your answers before moving onto the next task.Make sure you read the question carefully to determine the format of the required answer. For example, do they want this to two decimal places? Writing about your calculations also helps prepare you for those written questions. Ask yourself, do I fully understand what these figures are telling me? Look at the examiner’s report and feedback – would they have been impressed with your answer? Did you answer the question? In written responses, do not waffle, read the question twice and understand what is being asked. State facts that apply to the question – what are the key words? Focus on them and construct your answer appropriately.Plan your timeYou do not have to complete the tasks in order – if you look at the exam paper and find that, for example, question three is one of your strongest areas and you want to answer that first, you can. This will help to boost your confidence in the early stages of the assessment. It may also leave you extra time for the weaker areas of your knowledge. If you have completed the practice assessments, you may already have formulated a plan of action and know the best way for you to tackle the order of questions.The most important thing is planning your assessment time – allocate a time limit on each task and if you don’t quite finish something, come back to it if you have time later. Use the flag tool within the software to remind you before submitting your assessment. It is much better to gain the majority of marks across all tasks than to run out of time and not attempt some of the later tasks because you never got to them. On the day of the exam, pace yourself. You know where your strengths and weaknesses are. You have put a lot of hard work into your revision, now it is time to show off what you know. No one is expecting you to get 100%, if there is something you do not know, move on and come back to it. So long as you remain calm and confident, you will make yourself proud. Further reading:Science for StudentsOptimising Learning Using Flashcards: Spacing Is More Effective Than CrammingThe power of successive relearning The content team are the owners of AAT Comment.